LWR Issues its 2017 Early Warning Forecast

The refugee crisis fueled by armed conflict in Syria and Iraq tops the list of humanitarian emergencies in Lutheran World Relief’s 2017 Early Warning Forecast, an overview of global hot spots that will command the attention and resources of the international community over the next year.

The regions highlighted in the report are those that LWR is actively monitoring and, in many cases, is already responding to help mitigate the worst effects of a crisis, develop disaster response plans and strengthen community resilience, especially in the most vulnerable rural areas.

Amb. Daniel V. Speckhard (rt.), LWR President & CEO, noted that the international community is confronting tremendous challenges, including regional conflicts, blatant disregard for international humanitarian law, and what the United Nations is calling the highest levels of displacement on record.

At the same time, “we are making real progress in reducing global poverty and now is not the time to turn inward or retreat,” says Speckhard. “The international community must continue to engage, to fund humanitarian response and development, and to support the local communities bearing the brunt of these crises.”